What New Welfare Schemes Did Haryana CM Launch for Women on Teej?

Ambala, July 28 (NationPress) To celebrate the auspicious Teej festival, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini unveiled numerous welfare initiatives aimed at women, including the establishment of 131 Mahila Sanskriti Kendras.

During the state-level festivities held in Ambala district, the Chief Minister introduced the ‘Lado Sakhi Yojana’, aimed at bolstering the ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ campaign. This program designates a ‘Lado Sakhi’—which could be an anganwadi worker, ASHA worker, or ANM nurse—to assist expectant mothers during childbirth. For every girl child born, the assigned ‘Lado Sakhi’ will receive an incentive of Rs 1,000.

Additionally, the Chief Minister launched the ‘Badhte Kadam: Digital Bal Programme’ in Anganwadis, enhancing the capabilities of anganwadi workers in providing quality care and early education to young children. He emphasized that previous initiatives have successfully enabled women-led startups to constitute 50 percent of the state's entrepreneurial landscape, announcing more measures to uplift women entrepreneurs. According to the state startup policy, 50 percent of all beneficiaries will be women-led enterprises.

To foster entrepreneurial skills from an early age, 10,000 ‘do-it-yourself’ kits will be distributed to girl students. A dedicated scheme will be created to support women-led startups focused on handmade and traditional products, including ethnic textiles, eco-friendly crafts, Ayurveda wellness items, and indigenous food products, with financial assistance ranging from Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh.

In collaboration with NITI Aayog, Haryana plans to establish a ‘state chapter’ of the women entrepreneurship platform, granting women entrepreneurs access to over 700 mentors, sector-specific training, funding avenues, market access, and incubation support.

The Chief Minister also shared that under new industrial and sectoral policies, businesses that hire women from Haryana will be eligible for additional subsidies, and public procurement norms will be adjusted to enhance women entrepreneurs’ involvement. Furthermore, one ration depot in each development block will be assigned to women from self-help groups, offering them livelihood prospects while boosting their participation in local governance.

During the event, the Chief Minister virtually inaugurated 131 Mahila Sanskriti Kendras across the state. These centres will act as platforms for women to partake in cultural endeavors like singing, dancing, and devotional performances. He also distributed cheques totaling Rs 14.26 crore to self-help groups (SHGs) as part of revolving and community investment funds, and handed over keys to newly established ‘Rural Harts’ in six districts to SHGs.

Women artisans excelling in handicrafts were honored with Rs 3 lakh each for the state Handicraft Award and the Outstanding Woman Artisan Award, along with 12 consolation prizes of Rs 51,000 each. Awards were also given to high-performing SHGs at the district level, with cash prizes of Rs 1 lakh, Rs 50,000, and Rs 25,000 for the top three positions, respectively.